An Open Letter from George W. Bush to Donald J. Trump About Ignoring the Truth, Starting a War, and Somehow Making W. Look Smart

“From One War Criminal to Another: I Lied Us Into War. You Bombed Because You’re Stupid.” A fact-free strike on Iran that ignored intelligence, defied diplomacy, and may ignite the next global war.

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From the Desk of George W. Bush

Dear Donald,

Well. You went and did it.

I turned on the TV this morning—Laura was doing her yoga thing—and there it was: American bombs over Iran. Said it was a “preventive strike” to stop a nuclear threat. Gotta say, Donny, I nearly dropped my bran muffin.

I’ve been thinking about writing you for a while. But seeing those missiles fly brought back some... complicated memories. Iraq. 2003. Mission Accomplished. Heck, you remember the banner.

Now look—I ain't a man of big words or fancy books. But I do know a thing or two about presidential regret. Not real regret, mind you. I sleep just fine. But legacy—now that keeps a fella up at night. Turns out history books aren’t kind to folks who invade countries over invisible weapons.

You see, back in my day, we said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear, biological, chemical—alphabet soup of scary stuff. Colin made a PowerPoint. Cheney growled some threats. Rummy smiled like a coyote. And I—I nodded a lot and said “evil” real slow, like it meant something.

Only problem? The stuff wasn’t there.

We didn’t find nukes, Don. We found rusted missiles, old warehouses, and a whole lotta people who hated our guts. 4,600 Americans dead. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis gone. And for what? To prove a point we couldn’t make?

At first, I told myself it was worth it. Freedom ain’t free. Gotta fight the bad guys before they come here. But turns out, the bad guys came later—after we turned a country into a shooting gallery and called it democracy. And lemme tell you, Donny: that stain doesn’t wash out easy. Legacy's a mean son of a gun.

Now here you are, blowing up Iran because you heard something on a podcast and someone named “Q Patriot Eagle 1776” said they were weeks away from a bomb. You overruled your own intelligence. You bombed nuclear sites without proof. You even ignored that international nuke guy—you know, the one with the accent and the clipboard. Grossi. Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Nice fella. You didn’t just ignore him, either—you brushed off the CIA, your National Security Agency, NATO, and even your own Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, like they were your doctor telling you to cut back on Big Macs.

Sound familiar?

You're playing my old song, Don. But you're playing it louder, dumber, and without a band. At least we tried to pretend we cared. You? You just said “nukes” a few times, wagged your hands, and sent the planes. It’s like you’re speedrunning war crimes.

I get it. You want to be seen as strong. You like applause. You think this makes you the boss of the world. But lemme tell you a little secret from one washed-up former president to a current flaming disaster:

War don’t end with a press conference. It ends with funerals.

And here's the thing—you won't even get the credit. History already has a name for this kind of blunder: it’s my name. The Iraq War. Bush’s Folly. You're just a sequel, pal. Son of Dumb.

You're the knockoff version of me—tacky, loud, and made entirely out of grievance. I had advisors, intel briefings, and at least a flicker of doubt. You’ve got sycophants, slogans, and a streaming app full of your own speeches. I carried the weight of Iraq for years—tried to paint my way out of it. You just call it “a win” and move on to the next grift.

Look, I didn’t write this to apologize for the war. I still think we meant well. Kinda. But I wrote it because, deep down, I care about my legacy. I’ve spent two decades painting dogs and pretending I’m not the guy who blew up the Middle East. Don’t drag me back into it just because you need a Fox News highlight reel.

And while we’re being honest—you ripping up Obama’s Iran deal? That was one of the dumbest, most reckless stunts I’ve ever seen from a president—and I say that as a guy who once choked on a pretzel and let Dick Cheney talk him into torture. Barack built that deal with brains, a global alliance, and actual facts. You tore it up like it was a napkin at McDonald's just because his name was on it. No plan, no replacement, no clue. Just ego.

And the best part? You’ve spent the last few months crawling back to Iran, trying to get the same deal under your name—like when you slapped “Trump” on a rodeo-grade cut of beef and called it filet mignon.

Don’t be the guy who made my disaster look reasonable by comparison.

I earned my spot in the War Criminal Hall of Fame the old-fashioned way—through lies, oil dreams, and a Texas smile. You’re trying to get there with a spray tan, a grudge, and a Twitter clone.

So do me a favor, Don. If you're gonna blow up the world, at least make it look complicated. Don’t make it look stupid. That’s my legacy you’re standing on.

Sincerely,
George Walker Bush
43rd President of the United States
Former Decider-in-Chief
Current Hobbyist Painter of Dogs

P.S. I’m a Junior who became president. Doesn’t mean every Junior should try. Tell your Don Jr. to steer clear of politics—he’s more Duck Dynasty than dynasty.

BOMBED BASED ON LIES

The U.S. Attack on Iran and the Echoes of Iraq

1. Today’s Bombing, Yesterday’s Excuses

On June 21, 2025, under the delusional veil of national defense, the United States launched a coordinated strike against Iran—targeting the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear facilities with stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles. The rationale? A vague, unsubstantiated claim that Iran was weeks away from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Sound familiar?

This isn’t preemption. This is political arson. Trump’s administration, in the grand tradition of Bush-era fantasy, ignored intelligence assessments, overruled diplomatic caution, and pulled the trigger on a war based on fiction. The justifications have the hollow ring of 2003: “We had to act.” “They were almost there.” “We couldn’t risk waiting.”

But unlike Iraq, there isn’t even the illusion of evidence this time.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Fox News veteran with no serious strategic background, reportedly helped plan the strike and encouraged Trump to "show strength." Secretary of State Marco Rubio parroted the nuclear panic line publicly and provided diplomatic cover. Vice President J.D. Vance remained silent—another coward in the room.

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2. The Official Narrative: Nuclear Fairy Tales

Trump proclaimed the strike a success. His handlers paraded the Pentagon’s talking points across friendly networks: precision, strength, deterrence. But under all the stage lighting, the truth remained unchanged.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, had just confirmed again that there was no sign of an active Iranian weapons program. U.S. intelligence, led by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, stated unequivocally: Iran is not building a bomb. No decision has been made. No program is active. And even if Iran reversed course, they’d be years away from a deliverable warhead.

The most recent IAEA inspections took place just days before the strike, confirming once again that Iran was not diverting enriched uranium toward a weapon.

None of that stopped Trump.

Just 24 hours before the strike, he went on Truth+ to declare that his intelligence agencies were “wrong,” and that he had secret information proving Iran was “weeks away.” The source of that claim? Unclear. But if the last eight years have taught us anything, it likely involved a YouTube video and a drunken rant by Pete Hegseth.

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3. The Intelligence Consensus: Iran Wasn’t Building Anything

IAEA: No Weaponization Detected
IAEA Director Rafael Grossi couldn’t have been clearer: “We did not have any proof of a systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon.” Their inspectors had found no signs of warhead development. No clandestine facilities. No diverted uranium.

Grossi even warned days before the bombing that any attack on nuclear sites risked radiological disaster.

U.S. Intelligence: Iran Halted Weaponization in 2003
The CIA, National Security Agency, and Gabbard-led Director of National Intelligence all agreed: Iran halted its weapons program more than two decades ago and had not resumed it. Trump overruled them all. And just like Bush, he did so with the smug certainty of a man who doesn’t read but insists he knows better than the people who do.

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4. Bomb First, Regret Later

Radioactive Roulette
The IAEA warned that bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities could risk a radioactive nightmare. At Natanz, that danger came close. Containment held—for now. But it’s not hard to imagine what happens if it doesn’t next time.

Regional Wildfire
Iran retaliated within hours. Missiles and drones rained down on Israel. U.S. forces in the Red Sea came under threat. The region, already on a knife’s edge, tipped further into chaos.

Russia, the EU, Turkey, and even Egypt condemned the strike. The United Nations issued an immediate warning about potential nuclear fallout and humanitarian catastrophe. Iran responded by announcing its complete withdrawal from all ongoing nuclear diplomacy. The death of diplomacy wasn’t a side effect—it was the objective. But MAGA world cheered and called it "leadership."

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5. Here We Go Again: Iraq, Recycled

2003: Bush insisted Saddam had WMDs. He didn’t.

2025: Trump insists Iran has nukes. They don’t.

The lies haven’t changed. Just the grifter—louder, lazier, and too dense to even pretend he needed evidence.

This time, the president didn’t even bother pretending to consult experts. He dismissed the IAEA, the DNI, and the CIA—then launched a strike anyway. Because someone whispered the words "nuclear breakout" into his ear while he was getting his makeup done.

Right-wing media amplified the administration’s baseless claims—treating Twitter threads and Telegram conspiracies as actionable intelligence while ignoring the CIA, the DNI, and the global nuclear watchdog.

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6. Global Consequences

A Human Disaster
Israeli strikes already killed over 200 Iranians, mostly civilians. Iran’s retaliation killed two dozen Israelis. U.S. involvement now promises escalation. Protests have broken out across Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan. American embassies are closing. Families are fleeing.

Nuclear Infrastructure at Risk
Experts warned this week that striking active nuclear facilities may lead to irreversible contamination. It’s not just war—it’s potential ecological catastrophe. Grossi said it plainly: "This should never happen."

Strategic Breakdown
Iran has pulled out of diplomatic talks. Russia and China have condemned the U.S. The global alliance system, already strained, is unraveling. And inside America? A familiar crack of doubt. Another generation may grow up learning that their leaders lie. That wars start with slogans. And that truth is optional.

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7. Warning Shots That Were Ignored

Everyone saw this coming.

Peter Beinart warned this month that bombing Iran would be as senseless as invading Iraq over imaginary WMDs. Bernie Sanders called the strike unconstitutional. The IAEA begged for restraint. Putin, of all people, said it was unjustified.

None of it mattered. Because Trump needed a show.

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8. Conclusion: War by Fantasy

This isn’t deterrence. It’s a temper tantrum with cruise missiles. Trump has become the spiritual sequel to George W. Bush—minus the bad painting and the “aw shucks” affectation.

There was no threat. There was no intelligence. There was no plan.

There was only a man behind a podium, rambling about invisible bombs, while the world watched in horror.

If Bush lied us into Iraq, Trump just one-upped him by lying louder, dumber, and in full view of every agency that told him not to.

This isn’t just a step backward. It’s a leap into fire. And millions may burn for the fantasy.

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In George W. Bush’s Iraq War, approximately 4,600 American troops were killed, over 32,000 wounded, and estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths range from 200,000 to over 300,000, depending on the source and methodology.

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Read the companion piece to this article:

"Blessed Be the Bombs of Armageddon": When Prophecy Becomes Policy in Trump’s America

How Apocalyptic Christianity Took Power in Washington, What It Means for Israel and Iran, and What It Preaches From the Pulpit